Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I Stakes race for three-year-old thoroughbred racehorses, held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run at 1-1/2 miles (2.4 km), and is the third and final jewel in the Triple Crown. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds (57 kg) and fillies carry 121 pounds (55 kg). History The first Belmont Stakes was held at Jerome Park Racetrack in The Bronx, built in 1866 by stock market speculator Leonard Jerome (1817-1891) and financed by August Belmont, Sr. (1816-1890), for whom the race was named. The race continued to be held at Jerome Park until 1890, when it was moved to nearby facility, Morris Park Racecourse. The race remained there until the 1905 opening of the new Belmont Park, 430 acres (1.7 km squared) racetrack in Elmont, New York, on Long Island just outside the New York City borough of Queens. When anti-gambling legislation was passed in New York State, Belmont Racetrack was closed, and the race was cancelled in 1911 and 1912. The first post parade in the United States was held at the 14th Belmont, in 1880. Before 1921, the race was run in the clockwise tradition of English racing. Since then, the race has been run in the American, or counter-clockwise, direction. The winner of the Belmont Stakes is presented the August Belmont Trophy, one of the most prestigious trophies in the country. Because of its length (one lap around the enormous Belmont main track), and because it is the final race in the Triple Crown, it is called "The Test of the Champion". Most three-year-olds are unaccustomed to the distance, and the lack of experience, if not the stamina, to mantain a winning speed for so long. In a long race such as the Belmont, positioning of the horse and the timing of the move to chase for the lead are critical. The race was held at Aqueduct Racetrack from 1963 to 1967, while Belmont was restored and renovated. Triple Crown Series On eleven occasions, the Belmont Stakes was run before the Preakness Stakes. The Belmont Stakes is held on the first Saturday that falls on or after June 5. The Kentucky Derby is always held on the first Saturday in May; the Preakness Stakes is held two weeks later, and the Belmont Stakes is three weeks after that. The earliest possible date for the Derby is May 1, and the latest is May 7; the earliest possible date for the Belmont is June 5, and the latest is June 11. The first winner of the Triple Crown was Sir Barton, in 1919. Count Fleet won the race by a large margin of twenty-five lengths is 1943. One June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Belmont by 31 lengths, in a record time of 2:24, becoming a Triple Crown champion. His record still stands as the fastest speed for the Belmont Stakes. Changes in Distance The Belmont Stakes was run at a mile and five furlongs from 1867 to 1873; a mile and a quarter in 1890-1892, 1895, and 1904-1905; a mile and a furlong in 1893 and 1894; a mile and three furlongs from 1896-1903 and 1906-1925. The current distance of a mile and a half was established in 1926. Records Most wins by a jockey *6 - Jim McClaughlin, Eddie Arcaro *5 - Earl Sande, Bill Shoemaker *3 - Braulio Baeza, Pat Day, Laffit Pincay, Jr., James Stout, Gary Stevens Most wins by a trainer *8 - James G. Rowe, Sr *7 - Sam Hildreth *6 - Jim Fitzsimmons *5 - Woody Stephens (all consecutive years from 1982-1986) *4 - Max Hirsch, D. Wayne Lukas, R. Wyndham Walden *3 - J. Elliot Burch, John M. Gaver, Sr., Lucien Laurin, Frank McCabe, David McDaniel Most wins by an owner *6 - Belair Stud (1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1939, 1955) *6 - James R. Keene (1879, 1901, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1910) *5 - Dwyer Brothers Stable (1883, 1884, 1886, 1887, 1888) *4 - August Belmont, Jr./Blemton Stable (1896, 1902, 1916, 1917) *4 - Harry P. Whitney (1905, 1906, 1913, 1918) *4 - Glen Riddle Farm (1920, 1925, 1926, 1937) *4 - Greentree Stable (1931, 1942, 1949, 1968) Stakes Record *2:24.00 - Secretariat (1973) Other records *Only James G. Rowe, Sr and George M. Odom have won the Belmont Stakes as both jockey and trainer. *On June 5, 1993 Thoroughbred racing's all-time leading female jockey, Julie Krone, became the first woman to win a Triple Crown race when she rode to victory in the Belmont Stakes aboard Colonial Affair. *In 1984, Sarah Lundy became the first female trainer to saddle a horse in the Belmont Stakes. *The 2002 race had the biggest attendence in the park's history with 103,222. *Sarava, at odds of 70-1, upset War Emblem's bid for the Triple Crown. *Braulio Baeza has the distinction of winning three Belmont Stakes over three different surfaces. He won in his Belmont Stakes debut on 65-1 longshot Sherluck in 1961 at the old Belmont Park; in 1963 on Chateaugay when the race was run at Aqueduct; and in 1969 on Arts and Letters at the new Belmont Park. Filies Three fillies have won the Belmont Stakes in 144 races: *1867 - Ruthless *1905 - Tanya *2007 - Rags to Riches Three fillies have won the Kentucky Derby in 138 races. On average, fillies have won between 2% and 3% of the Triple Crown races, with similar numbers for geldings; while about 95% of these high-stakes races have been won by colts. (Until 1957, geldings were not allowed to run in the Belmont Stakes and that, due to the belief that fillies could not compete against colts, they were seldom entered into races in which males primarily ran in. Foreign-born winners *1874 - Saxon (United Kingdom) *1898 - Bowling Brook (United Kingdom) *1917 - Hourless (United Kingdom) *1918 - Johren (United Kingdom) *1957 - Gallant Man (United Kingdom) *1958 - Cavan (Ireland) *1960 - Celtic Ash (United Kingdom) *1990 - Go And Go (Ireland) *1998 - Victory Gallop (Canada) Winners An * designates a Triple Crown winner. A ** designates a filly. 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